HOW SALTY IS YOUR PESTO?
As it’s revealed some brands contain more salt than seawater, chef ALDO ZILLI’S lip-smacking taste test . . .
For many a harried mother, it’s the ultimate quick-fix supper. But that pesto you fling on to your children’s pasta might not be as healthy as you think. Worrying research yesterday revealed that some jars of the Italian sauce — whose staple ingredients are basil, oil, cheese and pine nuts — contain up to 30 per cent more salt than seawater.
Many well-known brands exceed the voluntary target of 1.38 g per 100 g, set by Public Health England as a healthy salt content.
So, which shop-bought jars are the healthiest — and which taste the best?
Italian chef Aldo Zilli has been making pesto for 30 years. He says: ‘Mamma made pesto as a Sunday treat. We had the ingredients on our doorstep in Abruzzo on Italy’s Adriatic coast — pecorino cheese from sheep on our farm, pine nuts from trees and rows of olives.’
ANTONIA HOYLE enlisted his help to put supermarket pesto to the test, along with a couple of even harsher critics — her two pasta-loving children, rosie, six, and Felix, four. All salt, fat and calorie values shown are per 100 g.
Napolina Green Pesto
£2.20 for 185 g, Waitrose CALORIES PER 100G: 408 kcal SALT PER 100G: 2.50 g FAT PER 100G: 39.8 g ALDO SAYS: This contains sunflower oil and only 1.2 per cent extra virgin olive oil, and I can also taste far more cashew nuts than pine nuts. They lack the distinctive taste. Disappointing. FELIX SAYS: This doesn’t taste very olive-y. 3/10
Filippo Berio Classic Pesto
£2.00 for 190 g, Tesco CALORIES: 460 kcal SALT: 3g FAT: 46 g
ALDO SAYS: The consistency of this is powdery and it tastes very dry. This is because there isn’t enough good quality olive oil in here — only 20 per cent when there should be at least 30 per cent. A thumbs-down from me.
FELIX SAYS: It is easy to eat without falling off my fork. 4/10
Sacla’ Classic Basil Pesto
£1.87 for 190 g, Waitrose CALORIES: 453 kcal SALT: 3.3 g FAT: 44.6 g
ALDO SAYS: This has a strong basil taste, not too much salt and the right amount of cheese. Bellissimo! Sacla’ also have a new ‘free-from’ pesto that’s good for those not eating dairy. ROSIE SAYS: This tastes a bit too strong. 9/10
Morrisons Signature Genovese Pesto
£1.44 for 190g, morrisons.com CALORIES: 417kcal SALT: 1.16g FAT: 41g
ALDO SAYS: This tastes bland. Anything this cheap runs the risk of having low-quality ingredients. It is a shame that families buy this when they could make their own for very little more.
FELIX SAYS: This does not make me sad like the chef, but I am getting full up of pasta now. 2/10
Matarello Fresh Pasta Co Basil Pesto
£2.79 for 150g, Ocado CALORIES: 527 kcal SALT: 2.6 g FAT: 52.5 g ALDO SAYS: This is a great coarse consistency with lovely pine nuts. It has a good deep green colour, and lots of a type of parmesan called DOP Grana Padano, which is the best you can buy. A little salty, but the strong flavours mean you can use it sparingly. FELIX SAYS: Yuk — too cheesy and spicy. 8/10
Daylesford Organic Fresh Basil Pesto
£4.99 for 160g, daylesford.com CALORIES: 655 kcal SALT: 2.41 g FAT: 64.5 g ALDO SAYS: Wow. You could make your own pesto for half the price — being organic makes this far more expensive. It’s a bit bland. More style than substance. ROSIE SAYS: It is not too strong but it doesn’t taste as special as I think it is supposed to. 6/10
Sainsbury’s Green Pesto
£1 for 190g, sainsburys.com CALORIES: 347 kcal SALT: 1.43 g FAT: 35.1 g ALDO SAYS: It’s too pale to look at, too coarse in texture and tastes artificial — and is fairly high in salt. You would be far better off crushing a clove of garlic on your pasta and drizzling some olive oil on top. ROSIE SAYS: I don’t really understand what artificial means but I don’t think this is too bad. 1/10
Tesco Finest Fragrant Pesto With Fresh Basil
£2.50 for 130g, tesco.com CALORIES: 467 kcal SALT: 1.1 g FAT: 47 g ALDO SAYS: The texture is pleasingly coarse, the colour an authentic green and the pine nuts look good. It tastes a bit vinegary though, which suggests the olive oil used isn’t great quality. The salt content seems very low. Pesto should only ever contain extra virgin olive oil, which is unfiltered and freshly pressed. That aside, it’s not bad. FELIX SAYS: This looks slurpy and tastes yummy. Please can I have more? 7/10
Asda Chosen By You Green Pesto Sauce
98p for 190g, asda.com CALORIES: 368 kcal SALT: 1.1 g FAT: 34 g ALDO SAYS: This tastes more like a salad dressing than a pesto. Cashew nuts are often added to bulk out the pine nuts because they cost less, but there is cashew nut flour in here, which is strange. It is cheap though.
ROSIE SAYS: I think is nice with lots of flavour but the colour does look a bit like a bad bogey. 5/10
Waitrose Green Basil Pesto
£1.35 for 190g, waitrose.com CALORIES: 452 kcal SALT: 1.10 g FAT: 46.9 g ALDO SAYS: oh dear. This is too smooth and an unappealing pale green colour. There is 48 per cent basil in this recipe but I can’t for the life of me work out where they’ve hidden it. The same goes for the garlic, of which there should be a clove in every carton to stop it tasting bland. FELIX SAYS: I like this because it doesn’t taste spicy or have too many yukky bits in. More please. 5/10
Menu from Waitrose Green Pesto
£2.99 for 145g, waitrose.com CALORIES: 402kcal SALT: 1.10g FAT: 40.5g ALDO SAYS: This certainly looks the part, with an attractive scattering of pine nuts and a deep green colour. But at only 9 per cent parmesan, there isn’t quite enough cheese, which makes it bitter. Given the price and appetising appearance, it is a let down. ROSIE SAYS: Euuuw I don’t like this at all. Can I spit it out please? 6/10
Lidl Baresa Pesto Alla Genovese
79p for 190g, Lidl CALORIES: 445 kcal SALT: 1.34 g FAT: 46 g ALDO SAYS: Even taking the bargain basement price into account I was disappointed. Poor quality oil and not enough basil make it look pale and tasteless. The label suggests all the key ingredients are there — but I can’t see the quantities. ROSIE SAYS: It tastes yummy and creamy and is easy to eat. It is one of my favourites. 2/10 (But Rosie says 8/10)